Plumbing – Bad smell on clothes caused by plumbing

First, let me say, you are far from the first person to have smell problems with washers, especially front-loaded ones. This has been the topic of many conversations resulting from home inspections and with concerned customers. I have had followup consults with factory reps, appliance repair specialists and the like.

The most common problem seems to be with the rubber sealing rings at the door. Water sits in the folds, mold grows in the folds and is untouched by the "washer cleaners" that are currently on the market. Wonder why they are so popular? some folks have been able to manually clean these areas with bleach and many rags. Others have had to have it replaced then keep it clean before the mold takes hold again.

Any closed reservoir can harbor mold and usually does. If you cannot access them to clean the mold out, that part usually has to be replaced. The other problem is if small amounts of water sit in the bottom of the unit and don't get expelled. this is easily treated with flushing cycles with bleach or cleaners.

Before you completely give up on the unit, see a Bosch dealer with a good service reputation. Several models from several manufacturers have been recalled or service bulletins issued for exactly the problems you are having.

The washing machine sends water into that drain under quite a bit of pressure and you want air moving freely through the pipe. You would be better off if you could run a new vent pipe up that wall and out the roof, or you could go as high as possible then out through the wall, presuming it isn't too close to a door or window that opens (since sewer gases exit the vent pipe on a regular basis).

Barring that, however, you should certainly put an AAV on this. I've had a plumbing inspector approve exactly this kind of setup for a washing machine drain on a remodel. The inspector required 4 feet of vertical pipe between the AAV and the wye that tied it into the drain pipe, though.

Your diagram may not be intended to be to scale, but I'd say you definitely want the AAV higher than what you're showing. I certainly wouldn't try to get away with putting the AAV under the sink.